Oh, hi, most-perfect-scarf-ever!
From LaineDesign
-
Sunday lunch at Triumph Cafe
Lunch with Justin at Triumph:
Tofu spring rolls with peanut sauce. So, so good.
Justin’s favorite, vermicelli with curried tofu. So bright and flavorful, with crunchy greens hidden underneath.
My bowl of pho tai. This was just okay. The noodles were clumped together at the bottom of the bowl, and the broth just didn’t have the depth I wanted.
They do have great fried rice, though, and those curried vermicelli noodles are awesome.
-
For you Twilight fans…
This is HILARIOUS. From HowItShouldHaveEnded.com, here it is: How Twilight should have ended. 🙂
-
Perla’s
Finally made it to Perla’s, and now can’t wait to go back.
Bay scallop pozole verde. Strong corn flavor, nice broth. Would be just as good without the scallops, actually. On the right is The Passenger, made with Aviation gin, St. Germaine, Aranciata, lime juice and mint. Definitely going to make this drink at home.
Fried calamari and peppers. Perfectly fried, perfectly salty. On the left is the Rye Maple Sour, made with rye whiskey, lemon juice, maple syrup and lemon bitters. Delicious.
Clam, house sausage and white bean chowder. Justin loved this… I thought it had a great flavor, but the aftertaste was all clams. I’m weird, mollusks just aren’t my favorite flavor.
Half dozen Pemaquid oysters. Super fresh, not overpowering in flavor, but HUGE. I want to love oysters, but I usually only eat one before I get grossed out. Justin can slurp those things up.
The Kaiser, which Justin LOVED… made with Makers Mark, grilled grapefruit, Domaine de Canton and aged bitters.
The Lazy Swell, aka my new favorite drink: Ron Zacapa 23-year rum, Velvet Falernum, grilled lemon and a sugar & spice rim. Yum.
Fried apple pie with sharp cheddar cheese, caramel ice cream and calvados creme anglais. Like McDonald’s but better. 🙂
The dessert special, a chocolate souffle with chocolate ice cream and homemade hot fudge sauce. This was so amazing… it seems that pastry chefs shy away from full-on chocolate desserts, either because they’re overdone, or not as creative, or whatever… but as a chocolate fanatic, this was the best dessert I’ve had in a long time.
We’re ready to go back, have a seat at the bar, and enjoy more fresh seafood and cocktails very soon!
-
Food and rules
I think vegetarianism for me is going to be like quitting smoking for some… it’s not going to happen on the first try. 🙂
I hadn’t touched meat, and was pretty happy about that, until Friday night. We went to Perla’s for the first time, and once I looked at the menu, I was deeply saddened that I had chosen to exclude oysters and scallops and halibut and such from my life. I tried to think about the treatment of animals, the environment, and all the things that had been keeping me from eating meat. And it wasn’t enough. I ordered calamari and scallops. I tasted oysters and clams. I felt guilty that I didn’t “care enough” about the myriad problems of the world to stop eating meat. But I also felt good about eating it. Which was kind of weird.
I mentioned before how much I worry about food. It’s entirely out of proportion with the rest of the things I worry about in my life. I tend to create rules for myself, and then beat myself up when I don’t follow them. I will be vegetarian. I will be vegan. I will only eat local/organic/humanely raised. I will stop eating processed food. I will not eat foods with high fructose corn syrup. I will only eat home-cooked food. I will only shop at the farmer’s market. I will…
And inevitably, the lines I draw become too harsh. My own rules become the very thing I want to rebel against. I keep thinking that someday I will learn… someday I will just do whatever it is that I actually want to do, without checking it first against my own personal rules and the rules of society. But for some reason, I seem to be addicted to those rules.
Anyway, I read two things recently that made me stop and think about these rules of mine (food-related or otherwise). First, a comment from a long time reader, Sicilian:
I think it is an age thing. When I was your age I used to fret about potlucks and family events, but now that I am older. . . . . I eat what I want when I want. . . . . I do not stress over food any more.
That’s inspiring to me. The thought that she has finally reached a point in her life where she doesn’t stress about food. I wonder how long it will take me to reach that point… and then I think, why not now? What keeps me stuck in this routine of worry? Which brings me to the other thing I read recently, this recent blog post about breaking out of the routine that we call Life. I love the idea that one can turn away from the rules and obligations and expectations that abound in life, and just leap out into the unknown, just be exactly who you are, and not worry about what others expect of you. It sounds fascinating and exciting and… difficult.
Again, no real point to this post, just getting some thoughts out of my head. And explaining why you’ll probably see meat on my blog as usual. 🙂
Happy Sunday, everyone.